Injured UFC champ Jose Aldo 'back by January at the latest'

RIO DE JANEIRO – Jose Aldo expects to be back in the cage sooner rather than later.

The injured UFC featherweight champion said he could return by the end of the year, and if not, it won’t be much longer than that.

“I feel fine except for some pain in my ankles,” Aldo said on Friday. “I just need medical clearance to get back to full training.”

Aldo took a spill on a motorcycle this past month, and it cost him tonight’s UFC 153 headlining spot at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Before the accident and injuries, he was slated to fight Frankie Edgar (14-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC), a replacement for injured Erik Koch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), in a title fight in his home country.

“I hope to be back by the end of the year, or by January at the latest,” he said. “The UFC will tell me who I’ll be facing, but I think it’s Frankie Edgar.”

The UFC has a major year-end show, UFC 155, slated for Dec. 29 in Las Vegas. However, the stacked pay-per-view card probably doesn’t need another title fight, so it’s likely Aldo’s next fight won’t come until at least January.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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